Clothes-pounder



I-l.l P. HEWITT & J. E. BENNETT.

Clothes Founder Patehted1an.l3,1880.

I VE Tur-15 Vl Fl Lgf@ wzey UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY P. HEWITT AND JOHN E. BENNETT, OF LEDYARD, CONNECTICUT.

CLOTHES-POUNDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 223,508, dated January 13, 1880.w

Application sied Aprii 22, 1879.

To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that we, HENRY P. HEWITT and JOHN E. BENNETT, of Ledyard, in the county of New London and State of Connecticnt, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Clothes-Washers; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ot' the construction and operation of the same, reference beinghad to the annexed drawings, making a part ot' this speciiication, and to the letters and iigures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of a vertical longitudinal section of our invention, and Fig. 2 is a bottom-plan view of the same.

This invention has relation to that class of clothes-Washers having a piston workin g within a cylinder to cleanse the clothes by alternately forcing and drawing the water through them 5 andthe object of the present invention is to provide a device of the above character that will thoroughly perform its work, simple in its construction, and easily operated, as will be hereinafter described, and subsequently pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents a cylinder, of any suitable size and shape, in which works apiston, B. The piston-head a is formed of two metal disks, which clamp between them a suitable packing, the upper disk being formed with a socket, b, to receive the end of the pistonrod, which is held therein by a pin, c, passing through `the socket and piston-rod. This means of attachment admits of the piston-rod being detached from the piston-head when required for removal or for adjustment.

To the upper end of the cylinder A is secured a screw-cap, C, provided with openings d for the escape of the air; and above the cap is a deilectingplate, D, concave upon its under side, and extending out sufficiently to be over the holes or openings d, to prevent the air and water from being forced too high should any water escape above the pistonhead by the downward stroke of the piston.

The` concave deiecting-plate D is formed with a screw sleeve or shank, e, by which it is connected to the plate C. the piston-rod pass- 5o ing through the plate or sleeve thereof and the cap C.

The upper disk of the piston-head c is provided with a lug, f, to which one end of a coiled spring, E, is attached, the upper end of said spring being secured to a similar lug,

g, upon the under side of the cap C.

The lower end of the cylinderA is closed by a removable plate, F, having a suitable number of holes, h, through which the water 6o is taken into the cylinder during the upward stroke of the piston and forced back through the same by the return-stroke, also through openings t' in the side ofthe cylinder. These openings i are arranged at suitable distances apart near the lower end of the cylinder, and are inclined in a downward direction to increase the iiow of water into the cylinder when the piston is raised; also, to throw the water at an yangle in a downward direction upon and 7o through the clothes by the downward stroke of the piston, thereby more perfectly' and rapidly cleansing t-he clothes than if the openings A were made horizontally through the cylinder.

Near the lower end ot' the cylinder A, and 75 rigidly secured to the same, is an annular apron, G, provided with openings 7c, the apron G being for the purpose of preventing the water from spreading and losing its usefulness, the holesor openings k allowing the surplus 8o water to escape when the piston is forced downward. l l

We do not desire to be understood as laying any claim, broadly, to a clothes-washer consisting of a cylindrical body having grat- 8 5 ings at its top and bottom, with a piston and rod and bell-shaped cap attached to the top of the cylinder and located over the upper grating; but

What we do claim as new, and desire to se- 9o cure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with the piston B, 'naving removable head c, and spring E, connected to said head and to the screw-cap C, of the cylinder A, having downwardly-inclined openings i, removable plate F, and apron Gr, with openings k, substantially as andfor the pury pose set forth.

2. The piston B, spring E, removable perhave hereunto subscribed our names in the foratecl cap C, and removable concave plate presence of two witnesses.

D, in combination with the cylinder A, hav- HENRY PALMER HEWITT ing' downwardly-inclined openings i remov- 5 able plate F, and apron G, having openings JOHN EGGLESTONE BENNETT 7c,'s11bstantially as and for the purpose speei- Witnesses: lied. J. S. SoHooNovER, In testimony that We elaiin the above we E. J. WILLIAMS. 

